Movie Review | Rubber: Effort rolls along, then loses traction

If you see only one movie this year about a tire with murderous telepathic powers terrorizing a small desert town, make it Rubber.

If you see only one movie this year about a tire with murderous telepathic powers terrorizing a small desert town, make it Rubber.

I'll say this: The movie doesn't lack originality.

"Robert" is a tire who comes to life in the desert. He propels himself along, investigates his surroundings, discovers that he can make things explode with his mind and meets a beautiful and mysterious woman.

Watching his exploits from afar is a group of binocular-toting tourists. A mysterious handler directs them toward the action. His motives are unclear.

Don't go with the expectation that Rubber is a schlocky B-movie parody. There's another layer underneath: a meditation on storytelling and the role of the audience and the medium of film itself.